Walter B. Jones: “as the Members of the House are aware, in February of 2006, U.S. Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean were convicted…”

“as the Members of the House are aware, in February of 2006, U.S. Border Patrol agents Ramos and Compean were convicted of shooting and wounding a Mexican drug smuggler who brought $1 million worth of marijuana across our borders into Texas. The agents were sentenced to 11 and 12 years in prison and now have been in Federal prison for 523 days. Last week I sent a letter, signed by Congressmen Ted Poe, Dana Rohrabacher, Virgil Goode, Louie Gohmert, John Culberson, and Don Manzullo, to ask the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Professional Responsibility to investigate the actions of U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton in this case. One of the main reasons for this request stems from the firearm charge used by his office in prosecuting the agents. This charge carried a 10-year minimum sentence. Without this charge, one of the agents, Agent Ramos, would have already completed his sentence and would be out of prison and with his family today. The office of U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton charged the agents with the discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. Yet, there is no such crime.”